About

I know this looks like a passport photo but you are looking at Marcel’s idea of a portrait : 11/2009

My name is Charlotte and javafoto.com is my journal about life in the Pacific Northwest. In 2006, my husband Marcel and I moved to Seattle, then to Portland in 2007 from Denver, Colorado. We enjoy living in Oregon and hope to make it our home for many years to come with our dog Mulder who is a Hound/Shepherd/Unknown Chesapeake Bay Retriever / Korean Jindo mix, fondly referred to by Vets as Heinz 57.

I was born and raised in Manila, Philippines and have lived in the States for about eleven years now. I love my life here but always look forward to my next visit to my hometown. The islands are beautiful, the people are friendly, and seeing family as well as old friends are always worth the trip.

I have a full-time day job in the corporate world but hope to have my own business someday. I have all kinds of grand ideas but have yet to strike the gold. Meanwhile, I am keeping my eyes open for possible opportunities and most of all, constantly growing my network of friends and professional acquaintances.

I’ve always loved food so you will see a lot of food-related posts here. It is more than just nourishment for me. It brings family, friends, and communities  together. Whether it is for lunch or dinner, the farmers market or produce sharing, food enhances our lifestyle. I always strive for the best quality ingredients available because I believe that’s where good food starts. We do not eat 100% organic but support the practice and try to make it reasonable by being a member of a CSA, buying “generic” organic brand names, shopping at local farmers’ markets, and most of all growing our own. Marcel and I have traveled to many different countries and truly appreciate a wide variety of flavors on our plates but like Italian and Asian food the most. When available, authentic Mexican food also makes us happy. We are not vegetarians but make a lot of vegetarian meals, mostly for health reasons.

javafoto was the name of my photography “business” back in Denver. I was working with a coffee shop to display my pictures but they soon went out of business. I too, have moved on to other things but the name lives on and my love of photography is very much alive. Most images on the site were taken by either myself or Marcel using a Canon S70, Nikon D40 or Nikon D70. Recently, we finally saved up to a buy a Nikon D90. So as of May 2009, most pictures are taken using the D90. Together with my 50mm lens, it is an awesome combination. I am no expert in photography (or anything else for that matter) but always willing to learn.

Please feel free to comment on any post or e-mail me: charlotte at javafoto dot com.

Cheers!

-updated 03/19/2010-

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Q: Is this website a business?

A: Not technically. I do have a google ad as a test to see if there is any potential. So far I have made $0 but I am not concerned right now. I just want to write a journal for our families, friends, and whoever finds it interesting. The javafoto website is currently disabled and everything is re-directed to this blog.

Q: Do you like coffee?

A: Yes, kind of. I only drink decaf lattes that I make at home with my DeLonghi espresso maker. I make it with vanilla soymilk and occassionally add TJ’s chocolate syrup or Whole Foods Market caramel. I am very sensitive to caffeine. It gives me the jitters. On days when I am out, I order a chai or green tea.

Q: Can you write software?

A: I have a working knowledge of html and used to program in C++ ages ago. I don’t think that would be of use today. One reason I might pursue it in the future is so that I can work remotely.

More Q and A to come in the future…